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The UEFA European Championship, also known as the Euros, is an international football competition contested by the men's national teams of the member associations of UEFA. It has been confirmed that the 2028 edition of the competition will be jointly hosted by the United Kingdom (UK) and the Republic of Ireland.
The qualification process for the Euros is a complex one, and fans of teams from the hosting region will be looking forward to knowing about the qualifying process of the hosts. And for that, GOAL has you covered.
Do Euro 2028 hosts qualify automatically?
Usually, the hosts of the Euros secure automatic qualification. However, UEFA regulations state that only two of the host countries can qualify automatically for the Euros. The remaining host countries will need to qualify through the regular qualification process.
According to UEFA's bid guidelines, when there are more than two joint-host associations, the automatic qualification of all host teams is not guaranteed. It will be contingent on a decision made in conjunction with the qualifying competition.
The UK and Ireland bid, having more than two hosts, will require UEFA to decide whether all five host teams should receive automatic qualification. However, it is unlikely that UEFA will offer more than the two automatic places that are already designated.
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In theory, this means that three out of the five nations, namely England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, and the Republic of Ireland, could potentially miss out on Euro 2028.
But there is still a pathway for all five nations to qualify. They have the opportunity to earn their places in the tournament based on merit by successfully navigating the qualification rounds as if they were not hosting the event.
Currently, it appears that the sole assurance of all five host nations participating in Euro 2028 is by securing qualification based on merit. However, going forward, other possibilities for their inclusion may be considered.